Fremont police released body camera footage in the fatal shooting of Michael Allen Felch, a 30-year-old city resident who allegedly “ambushed” an officer on April 18, 2019.

Video: San Francisco Chronicle

Fremont police released body camera footage Friday that shows Michael Allen Felch ignored commands not to reach for a gun before three officers unloaded 19 shots that left the 30-year-old dead on the street last week.

At a Friday morning news conference, Fremont Police Chief Kimberly Petersen played the footage and revealed that the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office issued a bulletin in February warning local law enforcement that Felch had a history of fighting with police and wanted to kill officers.

Body camera footage shows the final moments of Felch’s life, which included him lying on the ground, reaching for a gun and possibly even getting off two shots before officers fired their weapons.

Fremont police said Officer Ryan Lobue was driving on Civic Center Drive, south of Mowry Avenue, at 10:49 p.m. on April 18, when Felch, a Fremont resident, “ambushed” the officer outside of Washington Hospital by firing a shot that struck the driver’s side of the patrol car.

Responding Officers James Taylor and Jennifer Allsup arrived on scene almost immediately after Lobue reported shots fired on the radio, police said. They commanded Felch not to move or reach for the gun, but the suspect did not listen and the officers opened fire. Felch was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Chronicle has decided not to publish portions of the video due to the graphic nature of the shooting.

On Jan. 28, Felch told his caseworker at San Leandro’s Jay Mahler Recovery Center that he was “instructed by God to kill law enforcement and would not stop until he succeeds,” according to the sheriff’s bulletin. Later that week, Felch told his caseworker he had no intent of carrying out the threat, officials said.

Felch suffered from schizophrenia and other mental health issues, officials said, but they have not yet determined all the factors behind the shooting.

“We can’t know exactly what was in his mind,” Petersen said, adding that Felch had a “deadly vendetta” against law enforcement.

Patrol car footage released Friday ends with a photo of Lobue’s vehicle, which appeared to have a bullet hole. The mark came from a shot fired by Felch, police said.

Lobue ducked for cover after Felch’s initial shot, and when he looked back he saw a muzzle flash from the suspect’s gun, Petersen said.

In the video, Lobue continues driving and makes a U-turn before maintaining a distance from Felch, who is pinpointed by an editing effect in the video. Lobue remains off camera throughout this time, but police said he got out of his vehicle and fired two to three shots at Felch with his rifle, one of which struck Felch and knocked him to the ground.

Petersen said Lobue responded properly because he believed he was being fired upon, and she commended him for “creating distance” before advancing toward Felch.

Allsup and Taylor, who were in another patrol car, arrived at the scene of the shooting less than a minute after Lobue reported shots fired. The video shows the two pulling up not far from where Felch is lying on the ground.

Both officers command him to show his hands, and after briefly raising one arm he begins crawling and reaching toward the gun. Police noted two instances in the video in which Felch’s gun muzzle changes color, suggesting he might have fired two shots.

Video shows Taylor and Allsup firing 16 shots at Felch, 10 to 11 of which struck him, police said. Officers attempted to deploy a canine to drag Felch’s body off of his gun, but eventually they surrounded him with additional officers to recover the firearm, a Smith and Wesson .40-caliber handgun.

Police are still investigating how Felch obtained the gun.

Felch died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Alameda County coroner’s office. A toxicology report is still being completed.

Felch had a criminal record dating back more than a decade, police said. He was previously convicted of driving under the influence and drug possession in 2008; assault with a deadly weapon in 2011; and battery on a police officer, vandalism and resisting arrest in 2018.

The 2018 charges were related to an incident at the Fremont BART Station, where Felch allegedly carved the word “pig” into a BART patrol car and confronted responding officers, said Geneva Bosques, a Fremont police spokeswoman.

Felch’s mother implored Fremont police not to release the video, Petersen said. Petersen cited changes in state law that require body camera footage to be made public within 45 days of a use-of-force incident.

Gwendolyn Wu is a reporter who covers breaking news in San Francisco. Prior to joining the Chronicle staff, she wrote for the Santa Barbara Independent and San Francisco magazine. She is originally from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, and graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2018. Wu is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association. Her interests include testing new recipes and exploring used bookstores.